From Pixels to Particles: Young Scientists Tackle AEgIS Challenges at British Science Week 2026
On March 14th, 2026, the Victoria Gallery & Museum (VG&M) in Liverpool became a hub of digital interaction and antimatter physics. As part of British Science Week, the Dr. Bharat Singh Rawat, and Ravi Gupta and from the QUASAR group conducted an interactive outreach event designed to bring the complex world of antimatter to life for the local community.
The event focused on two primary interactive games: AEgIS:Gravity Lab and AEgIS Magnets. By gamifying real world scientific challenges, the games aimed to break down the barriers between high-level physics and young, curious minds. The children and their parents had the rules of the game explained to them through a manual as shown below.
Operational guide to the AEgIS: Antimatter Gravity Lab game (left) and Operational Guide to AEgIS: Magnets (right).
The first game AEgIS:Gravity brings the AEgIS experiment to life through an engaging browser-based user interaction. Players take on role as researcher in the AEgIS experiment at CERN, progressing through four challenging phases of the experiment. The game educates the players about real antimatter physics including.
- Phase 1 - Antiproton capture: Trap and contain antiprotons using electromagnetic traps.
- Phase 2 - Positronium production: Generate (Ps) atoms by shooting silica targets.
- Phase 3 - Laser Cooling: Precisely detune a laser to cool positronium atoms.
- Phase 4 - Gravity Measurement: Synthesise antihydrogen and measure gravitational free fall.
In the second game, AEgIS: Magnets, players step into the shoes of experimental physicists, taking command of the complex electromagnetic coils used at CERN. The aim is to produce the precise axial magnetic fields required to trap and confine antimatter particles.
To succeed, players must meticulously tune the electrical currents across various solenoid coils surrounding a virtual Penning trap. The challenge lies in matching the actual experimental magnetic field profiles and their gradients as closely as possible. Success is in the game is measured through a stability score, which is calculated based on the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between the user-generated field and the target profile.
- Precision Matters: The lower the deviation, the higher the score.
- Ghost Field Mode: For those seeking an extra challenge, this mode generates randomized axial field profiles that often prove more difficult to stabilize than the actual AEgIS experimental parameters.
Game window for AEgIS magnets.
The data from the day tells a story of intense curiosity and rapid learning. The museum saw a steady influx of "young operators," with the primary audience ranging from ages 4 to 9. The event didn't just see "walk-bys." Participants became "super-users," playing dozens of rounds. This repeat engagement proved that the scientific mechanics were both accessible and addictive. The AEgIS : Gravity Lab was played around 40 times and the AEgIS: Gravity Magnets was played more than 20 times over the entire event.
Number of times the games played during the event (left) and the age distribution of children that played the games (right).
The British Science Week event at the VG&M was more than just a day of gaming; it was a demonstration of how complex topics like antimatter research can be communicated to public by gamification of science. By translating complex data into tangible challenges, the QUASAR team successfully transformed the Liverpool museum into a launchpad for the next generation of scientific thinkers.
Dr. Bharat Singh Rawat and Ravi Gupta at VG&M for the British Science Week activity.
The games can be accessed via the following links: